


A Road to Somewhere

by Lux Remanet (orphan_account)



Series: Lightis Cinematic Universe [6]
Category: Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII Series, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Friendship, written pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 13:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2070183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Lux%20Remanet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>10 years after escaping Valhalla, old friends meet again.  Spirited Away AU. Pre-Lightis.  Slice of life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Road to Somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> Chihiro!Noctis, Haku!Lightning. We all know who Yubaba and Zeniba would have been lol
> 
>  

Lebreau’s felt different today. 

Granted it was busier than usual, alive with the usual cacophony of human conversation and expresso machines, but the feeling something would happen that would break the banal routine he had fallen into was so strong, his hands even shook at his sides as he pushed the door open.   _Something out of the ordinary_ , he thought.  When he saw Lebreau herself rather than the usual maitre’d he felt as if fate was right there next to him, screaming in his ear. 

“Where’s the usual guy?”

“Sick with the flu,” Lebreau answered, looking up from the computer hidden behind the counter.  “Guess it’s your lucky day hotshot.”

Hotshot?  He knew better than to respond to that one.  “Guess so.”

“So,” Lebreau said, looking back at the monitor “the usual table?”

“Yes, if possible.”

“That’s the whole point of reserving,” she muttered, resuming her typing. 

“I did?” He didn’t remember ever doing such a thing. 

The tapping on the keyboard stopped abruptly and then Lebreau was peering at him closely. 

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing.  Just take a seat and I’ll be around to serve in just a few.” The tapping resumed.  “Earl Grey, right?  Along with the usual order?”

 _Tea?_ “I’m sorry I don’t—”

“You’re so cute,” she giggled.  “Play it cool. You’re going to look desperate if you hang around the counter.”

Something really was different about today.  He crossed his arms and looked at her cynically.  “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lebreau looked like she had heard better excuses than that (probably had).   She glanced over her shoulder and yelled, “Prompto!”

“Can’t you see I’m busy woman!” a blonde man exclaimed, poking his head out of the kitchen.  He was about to carry on with his tirade when he noticed Noctis,  Then his tone abruptly turned calm and borderline speculative. 

“Well, well,” he said, smirking. 

Noctis heard a group of people lined up behind him laugh quietly amongst themselves.  “Let’s just go,” he grunted. 

“ _So_ …” Prompto began, somehow managing to nudge him while navigating through the sea of tables.  “My boss seems to think you have a hot date.”

“I don’t."

“I think Lebreau’s jealous,” Prompto gestured at Noctis’ entire attire “Which is unfounded, if you ask me.”

“Well I don’t plan to, so can we just—”

“I mean, if  _I_  had a hot date I think I’d know better than to show up in my gym gear, yeah?"

"Uh--"

"So, who is she?" Prompto wagged his eyebrows "college friend?  Twice removed cousin, unrequited love, what?”

“Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you,” Noctis snapped. 

“Oh, you’re  _good_ ,” Prompto grinned.  He pulled out a chair for him and then he was gone, leaving Noctis seething in his wake. 

Twenty minutes later, the last person he’d ever expected to see again stormed into the café, Lightning--or Claire now, given she had taken back her identity after the usurping of Bhunivelze.  She looked like a civilian now, and nothing like the unfeeling, hapless servant he had met almost ten years ago.  She had ditched the shining armor for track shoes, tights and a hoodie with the hood tugged over her head, but there was no discarding the pencil-straight posture of her shoulders, the unnatural glow in her eyes, and the way people instinctively shifted out of her path.

He watched her quietly, wondering if it was pure coincidence but when it became clear she was scanning the crowd for a familiar face, he stood and held up a hand through the throng to get her attention.  Confusion was clear in her eyes before she frowned and walked over.   A gauntlet of male eyes followed: some discreet, others less so.  He wondered if she was oblivious or indifferent to the effect she had on people.  

Or him.

“Claire, hello,” Noctis greeted politely.  He offered a hand but she did not shake it.  Swallowing his pride he casually shifted it into his pocket. 

“Hello,” she returned, in the same icy tone he remembered.

"You look great.”

“And you look…” her eyes scanned him from his shoes upward.  She had the same look a child had when confronting brussels sprouts on their plate. 

“Just as good?” Noctis volunteered jokingly. 

“The same,” Claire answered, somewhat dissatisfied. 

Noctis shrugged and she dropped into her seat with a huff, removing her hood.  A hand lifted to her mussed pink hair and tugged it out of its ponytail, combing her fingers through it with a grim expression. She plucked out a tiny leaf and glared at it before flicking it away. 

“The wind here’s really something, isn’t it?” Noctis said as he sat down, attempting to be conversational.  As far as the record had shown, he was the one she hated the least in Valhalla, and he was interested in why.  Who knew when they'd ever see each other again?

“I knew I should have stayed home." 

Noctis pretended he didn't hear that.  “Were you supposed to meet someone here today?”

“No.  I just went out for a run and I –were  _you_?” she asked, looking back at him curiously. 

His gaze floated back to the counter where Prompto was smirking and chatting with a fellow server and nodding at their table and he sighed. 

“Apparently.”

“So I’m intruding.” She began to rise from her seat.  “I’ll leave you to it then.”

“What?  You don’t have to do that--hey wait a minute--”     

"I have to go.  Stay out of trouble."

Lebreau appeared out of nowhere, barring her way.

"Do you mind?" Claire snapped.

Behind her back, Noctis mouthed a silent thank you.

Lebreau smiled brightly as she set two steaming mugs in front of each of them.  “I’ll be right back with the sandwiches!”

Claire glared daggers in the woman's back as she returned to the kitchens.  

Noctis knew if he laughed he’d be a dead man, but he couldn’t help but smirk.  A lot of people had done less and had  _died_.  Maybe ten years had taught her restraint. 

“You might as well,” he gestured to the seat in front of him.  “Lebreau’s as good at making scenes as she is at making coffee.”

Claire sat down, resigned. She reached for her mug and he saw her eyebrows knit together in apprehension as she stared inside. 

“Not a tea person?” 

“Did someone put you up to this?” she said instead, glancing from it to him. 

Noctis laughed.  “Claire you don't  _seriously_  think we have mutual friends in this world, do you?  I mean you are--or  _were_ a knight spirit.  Those kind of social circles don't exist here."

“So no one then?” she sounded pleased to hear that.

He smiled and shook his head. 

Her eyes closed as she inhaled its aroma and a smile spread across her lips before she took a sip. 

Relief flooded his body.  “So you  _are_  a tea person.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly for a bit, and for a moment he genuinely thought she’d hit him. Had done so plenty of times in the past for adequate reasons and none at all.  But then there was a shift, he could see it in her eyes and he saw her shake her head. 

“Am I really that irritating?" 

“No, it’s not you,” she sighed.

“Really.”

“Today felt off.  I went for a run to clear my head, try to get away from it all like I always do, but before I know it, I’m inside this café, and you're here,  _you_  of all people."

“So you were expecting to see someone as well.” Noctis concluded.  "Maybe not me, but _someone_ , right?" He honestly had no idea what he was saying or where this conversation was headed, but that had been the gist of their interactions in the 'good' old days.

“I don’t know what I was expecting.  But when I saw you I thought I might have hit my head.”

“Way to make a guy feel wanted.” Noctis chuckled.  

“You have to admit that it’s strange.”

“I don’t think we’re in any position to comment on things ‘strange’ and ‘out of the ordinary’." Claire smiled as he said that.  "But here’s a thought: what if you’re really the person I’m meant to meet and I’m the person you’re meant to meet?”

“Then I’d say you’re just trying to get in my pants,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Noctis shook his head, wondering where she'd learnt _that_ from.  “Seriously though.”

She threw her hands in the air exasperatedly.  “What in the world would we discuss?  Surely nothing as _mundane_ as where we've been these past ten years, where we’re living right now, and whether we’re seeing anyone."

Noctis frowned.  Those had been the exact questions on the tip of his tongue.  "What's wrong with wanting to know that?"

"It’s just so…pathetic, so boring.  It has to be something  _more_."  She cradled the cup in between her hands and frowned into her tea.  “It can’t be for no reason at all."  

“So if not that then what?” He felt another smile creep across his face.  He’d never seen her this expressive before.  It was endearing. "What if I  _do_  want to hear about what you've been up to these past years?”

“Then I’d say you’re trying  _awfully_  hard to try to get in my pants.”

Noctis burst into laughter then, earning a glare from her.  

“What’s so funny?”

“Had I known you were this interesting I would have made more of an effort to get to know you.”

The corners of her mouth twitched.  “Don't ever let anyone tell you you have a way with flattery, Noctis.”

"I wasn't trying to flatter you."

She scowled.

"I was simply being honest."

The scowl evaporated into a smile. Encouraged, he leaned forward.  

"Say we really  _are_  fated to meet after all these years," he said.  "Would you object to us seeing more of each other in the near future to…” he tried to think of the right words “figure things out?”

“When you say ‘near future’…”

“How’s tomorrow sound?”

“And when you say ‘figure things out’?”

“I mean exactly that.”  _Not a lie…technically. Baby steps,_ he told himself.

“How interesting,” she smiled wryly and tapped her temple “I seem to be getting a much different vibe.”

“It’s all this ‘strangeness’ in the air,” Noctis winked. 

“I thought you said we had no authority on calling out things ‘strange’.”

“Did I?” 

She kicked him under the table. 

“I wonder why though,” she mused quietly. 

“Why not?" Noctis said.  "I’m beginning to enjoy your company.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if Bhunivelze had a hand in this?  Then we could just go to him and demand answers for ourselves.”

“Except  _you_ don’t like listening to him,” Noctis pointed out.

“True, so what if today really is just an ordinary day and we’re just two acquaintances who ran into each other?  And we’re just reading into this too much?”

“Like coincidence?”

“Yeah.”

Noctis groaned.  "That's no fun."

“It’s not meant to be.”

“I liked my idea better.”

“Of  _course_  you would.”

He laughed.  “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were actively  _trying_ to get out of spending time with me.”

“We don’t have anything to talk about,” she replied airily. 

“On the contrary, I think we do.  And you’ve got to admit that this ‘routine’ we’ve forced ourselves to adjust to is getting old. Wouldn’t it be fun to shake things up a bit?  Make some noise?”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that," Claire answered. "Pun _not_ intended."

Noctis let out a sigh.  "You're no fun."

Lebreau appeared with their sandwiches and set them neatly in front of them and left, but not before sending a wink his way.  He choked mid-sip and disguised his surprise with a cough.  Thankfully Claire appeared not to notice.

“Where would we go?” she asked, reaching for a sandwich and biting into it. 

“We could go to the beach,” he said thoughtfully.

“The beach.” She deadpanned.

"Yeah."

“ _That’s_ your master plan for all this talk of ‘meeting’ and fate.”

He grinned.  “Well, the weather man said it’d be nice and sunny tomorrow.”

“You know, with the way you’ve commented on how the weather’s going to be good tomorrow, this meeting does seem to feel less random, doesn’t it?” she mused. 

“That and I’ve always wanted to see you in a bikini.”

“I could be busy.”

“Then another day," Noctis compromised.  "Or another week.  Time’s not really an issue for me anymore.”

" _Someone's_ put on their big boy pants." Claire snickered.  "You used to cry a lot."

"Didn't know there was a law against it," Noctis said.  "And I'll have you know a lot of women happen to _like_ my big boy pants."  She raised her eyebrows at that. " _Very_ much."

“And you really think that _I_ will?” 

"We'll know by tomorrow, won't we?" he said, raising his mug.  She nodded, and with an amused smile clinked hers against his.  

"Tomorrow."


End file.
